About SEKID

 

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Welcome

Welcome to the South East Kelowna Irrigation District web site. For information about the district you can search this site by using the drop down menus on the menu bar above. Feel free to contact district staff by phone if you cannot find the information you are looking for or if you want additional information not posted on this site. Follow this link for the latest public health notifications.

Regular office hours are from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM Monday to Friday. In the case of an emergency, on-call staff can be contacted 24 hours a day by calling 861-4200.

Reservoir levels improved; water restrictions remain in effect

McCulloch Reservoir level as of July 1, 2010 at 100% of capacity.

 

NEWS RELEASE                                                                      June 18, 2010

SEKID Announces Stage 1 Water Restrictions

The South East Kelowna Irrigation District has eased water restrictions, effective immediately. The water supply outlook for the District has improved significantly with recent spring rains helping to both dampen demand and fill storage reservoirs. The Board of Trustees unanimously approved easing water restrictions from Stage 2 to Stage 1 at the monthly Board meeting June 17, 2010.

“Our supply outlook has improved substantially over the past six weeks,” said district manager, Toby Pike, “we’ve gone from just 22% of capacity to full at McCulloch Reservoir and we’ve started filling our new Turtle Lake Reservoir.”

For the agriculture community the allotment will increase from 75% to 100% of the standard annual allotment. The District will be providing all affected users with a water use report showing the amount of water used to date and the new allotment for the property in the next few weeks. The District cautions that water service will be discontinued for the rest of the irrigation season to any property exceeding their allotment.

For domestic, commercial and mobile home parks outdoor water use under Stage 1 is as follows:

Sprinkling:

  • Odd numbered units or street addresses are restricted to watering on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

  • Even numbered units or street addresses are restricted to watering on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

  • Watering from in-ground automatic sprinkler systems is only allowed on watering days between the hours of 12:00 midnight to 6:00 AM and timers must be set for a maximum of 60 minutes per zone.

  • Watering by hose is only allowed on watering days between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM. And 6:00 PM to midnight.

For more detailed description of Stage 1 water use, please visit the District web site at www.sekid.ca.

The District continues to urge residents to think about the water we use and to use it wisely. “The severe water shortage we experienced last year really drives home the point that the water we save this year will be there for next,” said Pike, “we really can’t afford to waste a drop.”

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For detailed information on Stage 1 water restrictions for Domestic, Commercial and Mobile Home Parks, please follow this link:

STAGE 1 WATERING RESTRICTIONS

 

Spring/Summer Newsletter 2010

The Spring/Summer Newsletter 2010 Newsletter has been mailed to all landowners in the District as well as being available online. This issue contains important information about our water supply, Stage 2 water restrictions, water quality and more. To download the latest news on the District, follow this link: Spring/Summer 2010 Newsletter. If you would like to catch up on past editions of the newsletter, go to SEKID Newsletter.

Fall/Winter Newsletter 2009-2010

The much anticipated 2009/2010 Fall/Winter Newsletter is now available online. Among the features in this edition are stories about the 2009 supply shortages and an update on District efforts to gain access to senior government funding for water quality improvements. To download the latest news on District affairs follow this link: Fall 2009 Newsletter. If you would like to catch up on past editions of the newsletter, go to News & Reports/Newsletters.

Kelowna IDs Present Funding Request to Legislative Committee

The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services held hearings in Kelowna October 15, 2009 and the four Kelowna Improvement Districts had an opportunity to make a presentation on our plans for water quality improvements. The purpose of the presentation was to request funding assistance from the Provincial Government for water quality improvement projects totaling $65 million. Black Mountain, Glenmore Ellison, Rutland Waterworks and SEKID collectively serve half the population and all of the agricultural community within the municipal boundary. Over 70% of the city's annual  water use is provided by these four water suppliers.

The Committee's report was released on November 13, 2009 and the section dealing with support for Agriculture has the following recommendation:

32. Allow water improvement districts of a certain minimum size to be eligible for, and able to apply
directly for, infrastructure funding programs such as Build Canada, in the same way as municipal
governments.

While the report findings are not binding on the government, this recommendation does leave room for optimism. Our thanks to the the more than 125 SEKID residents who wrote to the committee in support of our efforts to access funding for water quality improvements. Follow these links for a copy of the Kelowna Submission and Steering Committee Report.

 

Automatic Withdrawal Payment Option

For your convenience, customers can now arrange for an Automatic Withdrawal from your bank account. To register, a pre-authorized debit form can be downloaded and printed from this web site, or a copy of the form can be picked up at the SEKID office. The completed forms can be mailed, faxed, or dropped off at the office.  Please make sure you provide a copy of a void cheque from the account you wish to use along with the signed form.  Financial institution information on the form can be left blank and the District can fill this information in from the information that is provided on the cheque as long as you have signed the form as authorization to withdraw funds from your account.

Forms must be into the office one week prior to the billing due dates.  If you need assistance with this form, please contact the office at 250-861-4200.

Technical Advisory Committee Report on Turbidity

The Minister of Health, George Abbott, released a report on Turbidity and Microbial Risk in Drinking Water in April, 2008. The report was prepared by an internationally recognized committee of water experts that had been appointed by the Minister to look into the effectiveness of using turbidity as an indicator for assessing risk in public water supplies, as well as the use of public water quality advisories as a means of communicating risk. The report concludes that turbidity alone is not a predictive indicator of health risk in water supplies and that advisories are often misunderstood by the public and may be ignored. Follow the link above to download a copy of the report.

Online Water Quality Questionnaire

The Board of Trustees needs feedback from residents about the District's Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP). For those who did not attend the Open House on December 12, lots of information about the WQIP can be found on this web site.

SEKID has recently commissioned a report by Associated Engineering entitled Water Supply & Treatment Cost/Benefit Review . The entire report can be viewed on this web site under "News & Reports/Internal Reports". The Summary Report provides an executive summary of the study and, for those of us with limited time, the District has prepared a short Information Brief on the subject.

The WQIP will have a tremendous impact on the rates our residents pay for drinking water. The time has come to get this message out to our ratepayers and to get feedback on the direction the District is going.

Please, take a few minutes to review the information on this web site and then answer our online questionnaire.

Water Supply and Treatment

Cost/Benefit Review Study Online

Water Supply and Treatment: Summary Report - November 2007. In a follow up to our May 2006 water treatment pilot study, this comprehensive report by Associated Engineering evaluates eight options for improving the District's water quality. The Summary Report provides the highlights, conclusions and recommendations of this work, while the detailed technical analysis in support of the summary can be found in three Technical Memorandum Reports: Tech Memo 1, Tech Memo 2 and Tech Memo 3, along with a Hyrdogeological Report conducted by Golder and Associates.

   
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